Steps into Space - Commercialisation, Occupation, Colonization: 09/10/14

Wednesday, 10 September 2014

Advancing understanding of graphene's friction properties

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On the macroscale, adding fluorine atoms to carbon-based materials makes for water-repellant, non-stick surfaces, such as Teflon. However, on the nanoscale, adding fluorine to graphene had been reported to vastly increase the friction experienced when sliding against the material. Through a combination of physical experiments and atomistic simulations, scientists have discovered the mechanism behind this surprising finding, which could help researchers better design and control the surface properties of new materials.

via Science Daily

Molecular self-assembly controls graphene-edge configuration

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Scientists have discovered a new bottom-up fabrication method that produces defect-free graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) with periodic zigzag-edge regions. This method, which controls GNR growth direction and length distribution, is a stepping stone towards future graphene-device fabrication by self-assembly.

via Science Daily

First graphene-based flexible display produced

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A flexible display incorporating graphene in its pixels’ electronics has been successfully demonstrated, the first time graphene has been used in a transistor-based flexible device.

via Science Daily

Researchers develop models to study polyelectrolytes, including DNA and RNA

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Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed a novel and versatile modeling strategy to simulate polyelectrolyte systems. The model has applications for creating new materials as well as for studying polyelectrolytes, including DNA and RNA. Image credit: Yaroslava Yingling. “Our new technique allows us to model much larger and more complex polyelectrolyte systems, and to do so much more quickly,” says Nan Li, lead author of a paper on the work and a Ph.D. student in NC State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering. “This is a big step forward for this field.” Polyelectrolytes are chains of molecules that are positively or negatively charged when placed in water. Because they are sensitive to changes in their environment, polyelectrolytes hold promise for use in applications such as drug delivery mechanisms. The term polyelectrolyte system refers to any collection of molecules that interacts in some way and includes polyelectrolytes. Researchers are interested in computation models that simulate the behavior of polyelectrolyte systems because these models can be used to determine which polyelectrolytes are most likely to have desirable characteristics for use in various applications. The models can also be used to help researchers understand the behavior of polyelectrolyte systems such as

The post Researchers develop models to study polyelectrolytes, including DNA and RNA has been published on Technology Org.

#materials
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copernicus quote print

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Readers’ Best Shots of the Supermoon

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We asked readers to send us their best photos of the September 8-9 supermoon. Here is a gallery of our favorites.

via New York Times

Crab Pulsar Time Lapse - Neutron Star Square Stickers

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Crab Pulsar Time Lapse - Neutron Star Square Stickers

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Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series Multiple observations made over several months with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope captured the spectacle of matter and antimatter propelled to near the speed of light by the Crab pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star the size of Manhattan.

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Image credit: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope

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Name, Butterfly Nebula in Scorpius space image Gift Wrap

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Name, Butterfly Nebula in Scorpius space image Gift Wrap

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Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series NGC 6302, more popularly called the Bug Nebula or the Butterfly Nebula, lies within our Milky Way galaxy, roughly 3,800 light-years away in the constellation of Scorpius.
The central dying star cannot be seen because it's hidden within a doughnut-shaped ring of dust, which appears as a dark band pinching the nebula in the centre. The thick dust belt constricts the star's outflow, creating the classic "bipolar" or hourglass shape displayed by some planetary nebulae.
The nebula's reddish outer edges are largely due to light emitted by nitrogen, which marks the coolest gas visible in the picture. The white-coloured regions are areas where light is emitted by sulphur. These are regions where fast-moving gas overtakes and collides with slow-moving gas that left the star at an earlier time, producing shock waves in the gas (the bright white edges on the sides facing the central star).
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image credit: NGC 6302 was imaged on 27 July 2009 with Hubble's Wide Field Camera 3 in ultraviolet and visible light. Filters that isolate emissions from oxygen, helium, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulphur were used to create this composite image.

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Laniakea: Our Home Supercluster of Galaxies

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Graphene gets a 'cousin' in the shape of germanene

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Scientists have successfully synthesized the 2-D material germanene. Dubbed a 'cousin of graphene', the material, which is made up of just a single layer of germanium atoms, is expected to exhibit impressive electrical and optical properties and could be widely integrated across the electronics industry in the future.

via Science Daily

Two-dimensional electron liquids: Looking for novel forms of superconductivity

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Truly two-dimensional objects are rare. Even a thin piece of paper is trillions of atoms thick. When physicists do succeed in producing 2D systems, quantum interactions can lead to new phenomena and Nobel prizes. Two examples: graphene -- single-atom-thick sheets of carbon atoms -- has unique mechanical, electrical, and optical properties; and two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG) -- planar collections of electrons supported at the interface between certain semiconductors such as gallium arsenide -- allow the observation of such emergent behaviors as the quantum Hall effect and the spin Hall effect. Using an overlying bath of ionic liquid, a piece of superconductor -- divided by an insulating strip -- supports narrow tunnels which permit currents to flow between.

via Science Daily

Galactic Love Wall Decals

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Galaxies, nebulas portals. Majestic and beautiful. Heart and Cross Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

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Pandora's Cluster Detail iPad Covers

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Pandora's Cluster Detail iPad Covers

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A colorful space image galaxy cluster Abell 2744, otherwise known as Pandora's Cluster. Source of image is NASA/Hubble programs.

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Companion star hidden for 21 years in a supernova's glare

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Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered a companion star to a rare class of supernova, known as a Type IIb. The discovery confirms a long-held theory that the supernova, dubbed SN 1993J, occurred inside what is called a binary system, where two interacting stars caused a cosmic explosion.

via Science Daily

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First evidence for water ice clouds found outside our solar system

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A team of scientists has discovered the first evidence of water ice clouds on an object outside of our own Solar System. Water ice clouds exist on our own gas giant planets -- Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune -- but have not been seen outside of the planets orbiting our Sun until now.

via Science Daily

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New method to detect prize particle for future quantum computing

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Quantum computing relies on the laws of quantum mechanics to process vast amounts of information and calculations simultaneously, with far more power than current computers. However, development of quantum computers has been limited as researchers have struggled to find a reliable way to increase the power of these systems, a power measured in Q-Bits.

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Shaping the Future of Nanocrystals: Researchers Obtain First Direct Observation of Facet Formation in Nanocubes

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The first direct observations of how facets form and develop on platinum nanocubes point the way towards more sophisticated and effective nanocrystal design and reveal that a nearly 150 year-old scientific law describing crystal growth breaks down at the nanoscale. Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) used highly sophisticated transmission electron microscopes and an advanced high-resolution, fast-detection camera to capture the physical mechanisms that control the evolution of facets – flat faces – on the surfaces of platinum nanocubes formed in liquids. Understanding how facets develop on a nanocrystal is critical to controlling the crystal’s geometric shape, which in turn is critical to controlling the crystal’s chemical and electronic properties. “For years, predictions of the equilibrium shape of a nanocrystal have been based on the surface energy minimization proposal by Josiah Willard Gibbs in the 1870s to describe the equilibrium shape of a water droplet,” says Haimei Zheng, a staff scientist in Berkeley Lab’s Materials Sciences Division who led this study. “For nanocrystals, the idea is that during crystal growth, high-energy facets will grow at a higher rate than low-energy facets and eventually disappear, resulting in a nanocrystal whose shape is configured

The post Shaping the Future of Nanocrystals: Researchers Obtain First Direct Observation of Facet Formation in Nanocubes has been published on Technology Org.

#materials
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Galileo quote poster

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Crab Pulsar Time Lapse - Neutron Star Stickers

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Name, Star Cluster Pismis 24 outer space image Gift Wrapping Paper

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Name, Star Cluster Pismis 24 outer space image Gift Wrapping Paper

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Galaxies, Stars and Nebulae series The star cluster Pismis 24 lies in the core of the large emission nebula NGC 6357 that extends one degree on the sky in the direction of the Scorpius constellation. Part of the nebula is ionised by the youngest (bluest) heavy stars in Pismis 24. The intense ultraviolet radiation from the blazing stars heats the gas surrounding the cluster and creates a bubble in NGC 6357. The presence of these surrounding gas clouds makes probing into the region even harder. One of the top candidates for the title of "Milky Way stellar heavyweight champion" was, until now, Pismis 24-1, a bright young star that lies in the core of the small open star cluster Pismis 24 (the bright stars in the Hubble image) about 8,000 light-years away from Earth. Pismis 24-1 was thought to have an incredibly large mass of 200 to 300 solar masses. New NASA/ESA Hubble measurements of the star, have, however, resolved Pismis 24-1 into two separate stars, and, in doing so, have "halved" its mass to around 100 solar masses.
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Image credit: NASA/ESA Hubble

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W5 Wallpaper Room Sticker

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Beautiful space photo of W5.

Generations of stars can be seen in this new infrared portrait from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. In this wispy star-forming region, called W5, the oldest stars can be seen as blue dots in the centers of the two hollow cavities (other blue dots are background and foreground stars not associated with the region). Younger stars line the rims of the cavities, and some can be seen as pink dots at the tips of the elephant-trunk-like pillars. The white knotty areas are where the youngest stars are forming. Red shows heated dust that pervades the region's cavities, while green highlights dense clouds. W5 spans an area of sky equivalent to four full moons and is about 6,500 light-years away in the constellation Cassiopeia. The Spitzer picture was taken over a period of 24 hours.

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Pandora's Cluster Detail iPad Air Cover

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